Modern grain bins dot the Midwest landscape. Looking like huge Apollo command and service modules (or Orion capsules in modern space exploration terms), some bin complexes contain grain transport tubes that resemble construction cranes. In Iowa, these massive structures store corn and soybeans. This bin is one of several located near Haverhill.
For more than 100 years the Aermotor Company has been manufacturing windmills which are used primarily for pumping water to livestock. These icons of farms and ranches can be seen all over the country especially here in the Midwest. This non-working specimen is located at the Vinton Railroad Depot in Vinton, Iowa. The sails on the wheel are chained in place as to restrict movement and to help prevent long-term damage. The tail shows at least two bullet holes which qualifies it as an authentic and time-tested Aermotor windmill.
Like many towns here in the Midwest, there are a number of unique architectural buildings near downtown. Maquoketa, Iowa located in the eastern portion of the Hawkeye state boasts a few historic structures from long ago. This one retains its former name, Hotel Hurst while offering 21st century town dwellers comfortable residential living as apartments for seniors I think. If the walls could talk they might reveal how and why the building was constructed but more importantly the many stories from hotel visitors when the town depended on rail for their connection to the world.
